Tbilisi among top 10 European destinations in 2015

Georgia’s capital Tbilisi is among the top 10 destinations of Europe this year according to international media outlet Time Out.

"Straddling the border between historical empires, Georgia’s capital is an alluring hybrid of architecture, customs and traditions, whose enduring anonymity on the tourism scene makes it all the more special for those who do visit,” reads the Time Out article.

Tbilisi marked 6^th out of the 10 European cities that made it onto the list, ranking higher than popular destinations including Lisbon in Portugal, Stuttgart in Germany, Costa Brava in Spain and Krakow in Poland.

"Georgia may not technically be in Europe (though that doesn’t stop it from competing in Eurovision, as Australians are well aware) – but you wouldn’t know it from a stroll through Tbilisi’s Old Town, whose quaint Orthodox churches and dusty Art Deco edifices speak to the city’s Christian heritage and Western orientation.

"On its fringes, on-trend bars and cafés sprout like hairs in a hipster’s beard, drawing in the city’s burgeoning student population. Then you turn a corner, and another world intrudes: a Zoroastrian temple founded millennia ago by Persians, or a complex of sulphuric baths framed by minarets.

"As Tbilisi sloughs off its Soviet veneer and reopens itself to the West, its cultural riches are once again becoming accessible to the adventurous traveller. There’s never been a better time to go,” the article read.

Other cities that made to the top five were Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden, Split in Croatia, Riga in Latvia, Gozo in Malta, and Reykjavik in Iceland.

"Paris and Barcelona are all well and good, but for a sense of ‘deep Europe’ (as we’re calling it), we suggest heading for the destinations that blend beauty, charisma and room to breathe in exactly the right quantities," stated the piece.

"And, as well as being amazing holiday spots in their own right, each of these cities offers an experience that is distinctly European. Proper, authentic, locally-sourced Europe: sample it in 2015 – while you still can…” it said.